Chariton courier. (Keytesville, Chariton County, Mo.) 1878-current, 1887-01-20
WASHINGTON LETTER.
(FR0l QUE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT
WASHINGTON, Jan. IL, 1887.

was in session only three days anC
the house four. Besides gooC
deal of other private legislation the
Senate pensioned the widow of Gen
Logan at 81, 900 year, secretly dis
cussed the Mexican Reciprocity
treaty, and debated the important
pending bill on interstate commerce.
The house passed three of the regu.
lar appropriation bills, several dozen
private pension bills, and. discussed
bills on the public buildings and
naval reorganization. But what
should be emphasized in the work OF
Democratic house Is the passage,
without opposition, and without any
provision for confederate soldiers,
of pension bill for the current year
appropriatlng over $76, 100000.
This amount is nearly as much as
were the entire expenses of the gov
ernment before the war, and it ought
to put the Republican ranters of the
last presidential campaign to the
blush, if anything could. Democrat
ic close-fistedness, indeed. Wherein
does it consist?
Senator Beck has by no means
gwen up his intention of pushing his
bill TO prohibit members of congress
from acting as attorneys for railroads
which have received government
aid, although his long silence had
left some of the railroad senators to
hope that they would not again be
confronted by this bug-bear. II is a
sore trial for them to have to face
this dreadful measure, especially
since they know it is urged forward
by a practically unanimous public
sentiment. The debate on the inter-
state commerce bill is being long
drawn out in the senate as shield
to keep Mr.. Beck off but even 1t
must come to an end when all the
speakers have made their speeches
for or against it.
1t seems that the revenue reform
question is really coming to the front
now, and that another effort will be
made to reach those surplus millions.
This time it will be by the internal
revenue men, Mr.. Randall and his
followers. They will advocate that
the whole of the tobacco tax be re-
moved, that the tax on alcohol used
in the arts be abolished, and that
fruit brandies be relieved of tax,
but as to whether they will attempt
any tariff alterations, no one can
predict. The members of congress
from tobacco producing states feel
that it IS duty they owe their con-
stituents to vote for the repeal of the
internal tax on tobacco in almost any
shape that it might be presented.
These are exciting days for the
senators whose terms expire on the
the of March, and there are many
indications that the seuate will be
much changed after that time, but
or not it will be improved in
character or ability is an open ques-
ton. Senator Conger of Michigan,
who has been in public life for thIr-
ty-two years, is to be succeeded by
Col. Stockbridge, because the latter
IS a richer man. The long bearded
millionaire from Nevada,
Mr.. w. NJ. Stewart, is coming back
for another term. No one objects to
him, however, as he was rather q
lively man il the senate, and having
q pretentious looking residence here,
takes a good deal of interest in the
Improvement of Washington city.
1t is still doubtful who will get
Gen. Logan's place, but Pennsylva-
MIA sends Mr.. Quay, well known
boss and intriguer, instead of Mr..
and Minnesota sends ex-
Governor Davis, a tariff reformer, a
writer of a book on Shakespeare,
and a so-called orator in place of Mr..
Mcmillan. Nebraska is hesitating
between demagogue and q mag
nate, and California is still in doubt,
as are also New York, Massachusetts
and other states.
When the house took up the bill
for q reorganization Of the navy,
Mr.. Golf of w. Va, who was secre-
5ary of the navy for a few weeks
under Mr.. Hayes, entered upon
lengthy criticism of the bill, charged
The lack of navy to the Democrat
&c party. Representative Buck
thought 1t strange that after Repub-
Iican secretaries of the navy had
for years recommended this same
kind Of legislation, it should now be
opposed because a Democratic sec
retary had RECOMMENDED 1t. Mr..
of Maine, who is one of the
narrowest partisans on the Republi-
can side, denied that Mr. Goff or
himself had changed front in regard
to this matter. But BIr. Buck did
not waver. SAID he: You are op-
posed to it to-day you were opposed
to it yesterday, you will be opposed
70 IL as LONG "a n Democratic secre-